Delicious, crispy, pickled cucumbers are a pleasant variety in the diet of every family. In winter, they go great with fried or boiled potatoes, are an addition to any main dish and simply decorate the table. The whole secret is how to do it the right ambassador. Today we decided to collect all the recommendations of experts that will be very useful for a young housewife. And we’ll start with the question of how long to soak cucumbers before canning.
Before you start preserving, you need to prepare the best cucumbers. The main criteria are color, size and elasticity. Experienced housewives know that the ideal vegetables are those that have black pimples. Jars with such fruits almost never explode.
Never purchase deformed fruits that are overgrown and yellowed. They should be the same, even and small. The optimal length is from 5 to 13 centimeters. All the rest of the illiquid stock can be used to prepare the salad.
Depending on how you want to prepare vegetables, you need to choose the size. For conservation, it is better to select medium-sized specimens that do not exceed 13 centimeters. For exotic lovers, tiny pickles, less than 5 cm in length, are suitable. But large specimens are best used for pickling. Overgrowths with signs of yellowing are best left aside altogether. If you think they're good for salad, then use them that way.
Can early vegetables be used for pickling? This is not recommended. All ultra-early varieties are salad varieties. That is, their skin is thin and delicate. In addition, the earlier a cucumber ripens, the more harmful elements it contains. This problem is partially solved by soaking. However, experienced housewives still recommend waiting until there is more on the market. big choice seasonal vegetables.
This question directly relates to how long to soak cucumbers before canning. A typical situation on the market: one seller has clean, shiny, attractive vegetables, while another seller has vegetables stained with garden soil. Are you choosing first? You are risking your work. They were washed a long time ago, and then transported in a closed container. As a result, acidification processes could already begin inside. This will lead to cloudiness of the brine, and the jar will simply “explode”. But fruits with traces of fresh soil are goods fresh from the garden. Buy it calmly and prepare it for pickling. Now let's move directly to the topic of our conversation. So, how long should you soak cucumbers before canning?
Let's return to our example again. The summer resident brought fresh vegetables to the market. They are tight and elastic, ideal for pickling. However, a hot day quickly changes the situation, and the tail part of the fruit withers. This is noticeable if you press the cucumber with your fingers. It is best to look for fresher fruits, but if there is no choice, then we take these. Then resuscitation is needed. Here the question is very relevant: “How many hours should cucumbers be soaked before canning?” Before you start pickling, you need to set aside as much time as possible for the fruits to sit in cold water. They will restore their elasticity. To do this, every hour and a half the water is drained, after which a new portion is poured in. The fruits seem to “get drunk” with it and become dense. Thus, we have identified the first goal that housewives pursue when placing cucumbers in water. But she's not the only one.
Speaking about how long cucumbers should be soaked before preservation, it should be noted that everything is individual. Fresh vegetables, just taken from the garden, do not need this; they can simply be washed. But if you bought them in a store, don’t waste your time. The big advantage of soaking is that in water they get rid of nitrates. From 15 to 20% of all harmful substances that got into vegetables during growing are completely gone. To do this, it is advisable to leave them in the water for a day, changing it every hour and a half. However, you shouldn’t go too far either. If you observe that white circles have appeared on the surface of the water, it means that the cucumbers should be immediately pulled out and washed thoroughly under water. running water.
Experienced housewives recommend using a soft cloth with a small lint to wash cucumbers. This great option in order to rid the fruits of dirt after soaking. At the same time, the fabric does not spoil the skin and pimples. There's another one here important point. When choosing fruits for pickling, press your fingernail onto the peel. If there is damage left on it, then it is a salad vegetable; it will not crunch after pickling. For preparations for the winter, special varieties with thicker skin are needed.
Below we will talk more about how and how long you can soak cucumbers before canning. And now I would like to pay attention to what kind of water can be used for this. A spring or well is best. If you do not have such an opportunity, then place a container with tap water in the refrigerator. About 8-10 hours, and it will become somewhat closer to the standard in its properties.
All housewives emphasize that the taste of cucumbers soaked in well water will certainly surprise you. They turn out crispy and tender, elastic and amazingly tasty. What other ways are there to improve regular water? You can use a bottled one, but this is only if the volume of vegetables to be pickled is small. Tap water can be boiled or passed through a filter, and then infused with silver.
All women have experienced moments in their lives when they have fruits to pickle, but there is no time to deal with them. Perhaps this is also why the question often arises: “How many hours should cucumbers be soaked before canning?” It is not recommended to keep them in water for a long time. If the vegetable is just from the garden, then just wash it. Store-bought cucumbers, dense and elastic, are soaked for 3-4 hours, changing the water once. If they have already been lying down, it may take a whole day.
What if today is only Monday, and you are not going to pickle until Friday? Then you need to worry about keeping the fruits as fresh as possible. Ideal for this paper will do plastic bag. Place the cucumbers in it and put it in a cool place, protected from the sun. But the refrigerator does not fit well; they can only stay here for about three days.
Many housewives, when giving advice on how long to soak cucumbers before canning, recommend cutting off the tail. This is due to the opinion that it is this part of the fruit that contains the most nitrates. However, there are several nuances here. Violation of the integrity of the fruit reduces its taste. It usually doesn't turn out as crispy and springy as it could be. Again, if there are nitrates in the tail, then most likely they have penetrated into the rest of the vegetable. Therefore, cutting off the ponytail or not is a purely voluntary matter. You can prick the vegetables with a fork and place them in cold water before pickling, the effect will be the same.
Thus, we already know how long to soak cucumbers before canning. The average duration of the preparatory process is 3-4 hours. This time can be reduced or increased depending on specific situation. Using our recommendations, you will definitely be able to prepare delicious cucumbers for the winter.
Sometimes it happens that the cucumber seeds that you planted simply do not germinate. And even if they have sprouted, not all of them are in the garden; it turns out there are only a few shoots. Sometimes you even have to replant everything again and expect that this time everything will be completely different. To avoid such a problem or reduce such losses to a minimum, it is best to soak cucumbers, or rather the seeds from them, first (before planting). There are several ways to do this. Here are some of these methods.
Many people probably know the first method; this is to use a damp canvas cloth. Cucumber seeds are simply wrapped in it, and then we stuff this rag into a plastic bag and put it away in a warm place. There your seeds will germinate in about three days.
The second method is almost the same as the first. You will also need a cloth where the seeds are wrapped, but instead of a plastic bag we will need a glass jar (any size). We close the jar and also put it in any warm place for the same two or three days.
Enough original method In preparation for germination, many women use it - they put the same damp cloth with cucumber seeds wrapped in this cloth in their bra. Placed in such an original “storage”, the seeds, they say, can be safely planted in just a couple of hours.
When soaking cucumber seeds (and other seeds as well), it is best to use well-settled water. Even better is thawed or rain. Chlorinated water (which is what we have from the tap) is not at all suitable for soaking. Or rather, you can soak the seeds in it, but the result of such “chlorine” treatment will probably not be good. Also, your soaking water should not be cold. 26-28 degrees is that optimal temperature for water when soaking cucumber seeds, which will give you good results. Also, before the soaking procedure itself, you can treat cucumber seeds with a growth stimulator.
When your seeds successfully germinate and you are going to plant them, do it very carefully and carefully, because if the delicate sprout of the seed breaks, then you can throw it away, because you will not be able to grow a plant from it.
Several Yet useful tips How to soak and germinate cucumbers will be given to you in this video. Let's see.
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For the first time in my life I will try to grow something in the garden (it will be most interesting, and I will also show it to the children and involve them in courtship). I bought seeds of ground cucumbers. The package says to sow in peat pots, then into the ground.
Mom says you need to soak it in potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then another solution, then a pot, then the slightly hatched seeds in the garden. There is no time, so the first option seems more attractive. What do you say, girlfriends?
As you say, I will do so. Thank you in advance.
Cucumber seeds must be soaked before planting Open topic in windows
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What lengths do gardeners and gardeners go to in order to get an amazingly rich harvest on their plot. Various techniques and techniques are used, ranging from the latest developments agricultural technologies and ending with folk conspiracies.
In order to receive excellent harvest cucumbers, their seeds are best pre-soaked. How to soak cucumber seeds? There are several main methods used to obtain sprouted seeds for planting.
To soak cucumber seeds, it is best to use settled, melted or rain water. Chlorinated tap water is not very suitable for soaking seeds.
In addition, the water for soaking should not be cold. The optimal water temperature that should be used for germinating cucumber seeds is 26-28 degrees. You can also treat cucumber seeds with a growth stimulant before soaking. Planting sprouted cucumber seeds must be very careful, because if the sprout breaks, then this seed can be thrown away - it will no longer produce plants. So we can conclude that. that cucumber seeds love moisture and warmth for germination.
Today we’ll talk about cucumbers and reveal some of the secrets of a good harvest. Sometimes it happens that the cucumber seeds that you planted simply do not germinate. And even if they have sprouted, not all of them are in the garden; it turns out there are only a few shoots.
Sometimes you even have to replant everything again and expect that this time everything will be completely different. To avoid such a problem or reduce such losses to a minimum, it is best to soak cucumbers, or rather the seeds from them, first (before planting).
There are several ways to do this. Here are some of these methods.
Many people probably know the first method; this is to use a damp canvas cloth. Cucumber seeds are simply wrapped in it, and then we stuff this rag into a plastic bag and put it away in a warm place. There your seeds will germinate in about three days.
Some more useful tips on soaking and sprouting cucumbers will be given to you in this video. Let's see. P.S. Was the article useful to you?
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Spring is the beginning of the season when gardeners and gardeners think about the future harvest. Planting plans are created, seeds and fertilizers are purchased in stores. Some crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, begin to be cultivated by growing seedlings.
Other plants do not require a similar preparatory period. They are planted directly into the ground when the ground warms up enough. But in both cases, gardeners may be wondering whether the seeds should be soaked and, if so, how.
To prepare the material for germination, it must be placed in a warm place. For example, put it next to the battery. The first crops you will need are pumpkin, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini. The room temperature should be plus twenty degrees.
If the seeds are heated for a month or a month and a half, then they will subsequently sprout earlier and provide an earlier harvest.
Not all planting material is suitable for growing strong and healthy plants. Perhaps the seeds purchased a long time ago are already expired if their shelf life has expired.
Therefore, before processing, it is necessary to sort through all of them, remove damaged and small ones. To make the process take less time, it is enough to resort to folk way selection. You will need to dilute from thirty to fifty grams in a liter of water table salt.
Drain the water to remove the sediment, and fill the material with clean material. Thus, you have become familiar with how to properly soak seeds to identify defective specimens. As a result, within an hour you will receive the following picture.
Those seeds that are suitable for sowing will sink to the bottom of the jar, and the empty ones will rise to the surface. They will need to be thrown away. The remaining ones are washed in running water.
This way you can sort through the seeds of almost all crops.
Let's directly look at the process that describes how to soak the seeds before planting, and what needs to be done for this. Planting material is placed in water at room temperature. Such processing helps to awaken dormant forces in a small seed.
The shoots will emerge early. Gardeners are concerned with the following problem: how many days to soak the seeds so that they are ready for planting. It is enough to soak parsley, beets, peppers, celery, carrots, eggplants, parsnips, and onions in water for forty-eight hours.
For cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, melon, radish, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, eight to twelve hours is enough.
During culling, not only empty and damaged seeds are removed, but also diseased ones. After all, they can be carriers of dangerous diseases, which will then spread to adult plants. As preventive measures disinfection is carried out.
Before soaking the seeds before planting, they are subjected to special treatment. The most effective method to disinfect them - heat them in water at a temperature of up to 50°. Place the planting material in a fabric bag and immerse it in boiling water for twenty minutes.
At the same time, you need to make sure that the temperature does not drop. The seeds are then soaked in cold water for three minutes. Similar tests are suitable for carrots, cabbage and beets. Do the same with zucchini, eggplant, watermelon and melons.
True, they require a longer “ hot bath" - in two hours.
The options for soaking seeds before planting are very similar, but at the same time they are not the most basic. Before soaking, planting material can be frozen in the refrigerator. The seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the freezer.
They are stored at low temperatures - from -1 to -3°. This is how pumpkin, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are hardened for three days. Having withstood such conditions, they will be ready for planting in open ground much earlier than those that have not undergone hardening.
In preparation planting material you can safely experiment. For example, here's how to soak seeds before planting using nutrient formulas. You will need a solution of potassium permanganate.
It is prepared as follows. One gram of potassium permanganate dissolves in five liters of water. But it should be borne in mind that such treatment inhibits the development of plants.
Therefore, experts recommend resorting to specially produced mixtures. For example, you can use growth regulators Zircon, Albit, and Energen. Solutions with these drugs should be prepared according to the instructions that come with them.
As a replacement for potassium permanganate solution, you can use five grams of baking soda per liter of water. Treated seeds will also undergo disinfection. Any of these solutions is suitable for preparing pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, and zucchini.
They must be kept for twelve hours. There is another option. Prepare the following composition. One matchbox of wood ash is dissolved in five liters of water.
Insist for two days. The seeds must be kept in this solution for four to six hours. They wake up after soaking and swell.
If this does not happen, then the entire procedure should be repeated from the beginning. You need to keep them in warm water for one to two hours.
Aloe juice, infusions of valerian, chamomile, and oak bark are also suitable for processing planting material. Having considered the above methods for processing planting material, we can conclude that the question of whether seeds need to be soaked is rhetorical. If you go through all the stages of preparation correctly, the result is good seedlings, strong healthy plants and a rich harvest.
To begin with, it is worth noting that the soaking process should be carried out correctly only after disinfection of the seeds, immediately before planting. You will need a container, water, gauze and planting material for the procedure. As previously indicated, seeds in a dense shell must be soaked.
These include: seedlings of cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, beets, tomatoes, peppers and watermelon. They can also be classified as crops that must be pre-soaked due to the large amount they contain. essential oils, seeds of dill, carrots, celery, parsley, parsnips. By soaking such seedlings in water, some of the essential oils will be washed out, and their germination will be easier.
Tap water can be used, but gardeners still prefer not to use it. Wide plates or saucers should be used as containers.
This process is quite simple to perform. The seeds need to be spread on moistened gauze and covered with a second layer of gauze. After which the seedlings are filled with water, the temperature of which should be about +30 - +35 degrees.
It is worth noting that if the water turns brown, it must be changed until it becomes clear. The volume of water required for the procedure is calculated based on the volume of the seeds. For specific crops The ratio of seeds and water will be as follows:
Containers with soaked seeds are placed in a dark place. Temperature for most optimal conditions should be between +20 and +25 degrees.
Some gardeners practice a rather interesting method - they place containers with seedlings soaked in water in an additional plastic bag before putting them in an unlit place. Thus, providing a greenhouse effect. During the soaking process, air is not necessary for the seeds, so you don’t have to worry that they will “suffocate” under a layer of water.
But at the same time, their prolonged stay in water can lead to the death of planting material. Most seedlings take about 18 hours to swell. These include the seeds of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, beets, zucchini, and watermelon.
Seedlings of carrots, parsley, celery, dill, and onions should be left in water to swell for 48 hours. Such crops that have large mealy seeds are soaked for 2-4 hours before planting.
Often, biological solutions are added to the water for soaking seeds before planting to stimulate growth (germination) in the future. As a rule, substances such as:
In general, there are quite a lot of substances that are added when soaked in water and promote good germination, and their range is varied. But you can also prepare a biological solution in the form of an infusion at home. For example, infusions from pharmaceutical chamomile Suitable for soaking seeds of cabbage, peas, beans, radishes.
The best remedy for seedlings of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, onions, peppers, celery and dill is valerian infusion. For beets and spinach, an infusion of fermented mullein is used. Natural biostimulants are also infusion of wood ash and aloe juice (fresh).
Cucumber seeds, like zucchini, pumpkin, squash, watermelon, cabbage and radish crops, are the first to be prepared before sowing. To do this, in about 1-1.5 they need to be dried, for example, near the battery.
After a thorough inspection, choosing only high-quality material, the cucumber seedlings are soaked. Following advice experienced gardeners, these crops need to be soaked not in plain water, but with the addition of stimulants and biological solutions.
By the way, using this advice, you can thus immediately disinfect the seeds. Sufficient time for soaking them is approximately 12 hours. During this time, the seedlings of cucumbers and similar crops will noticeably swell and, perhaps, even show signs of germination.
Seeds of parsley, dill, carrots, lettuce and parsnips are soaked in advance before planting. As a rule, planting material for such plants is sown in April. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the seedlings on time.
As previously mentioned, seedlings of these crops (parsley, lettuce, etc.) are difficult to germinate due to the content of essential oils. Therefore, they will need more time to swell. Soaking is carried out in water; this procedure can take about 48 hours.
Before sowing, the seeds should be dried in a dark place. Properly soaked and then dried seeds of parsley, dill, carrots and others will easily crumble.
Planting material in the form of beet seeds must be soaked before planting in advance, about 2-3 days earlier. You can use melt water or regular water, just bring it to a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Beet seedlings will take about 22-25 hours to swell.
A special point when performing the procedure with beet seedlings is that the water should be changed every 2-3 hours during the first 10 hours. By following these recommendations on how to soak the seeds before planting, you can easily carry out the procedure, thereby contributing to better germination and good yields.
As you know, the harvest begins with seeds. Therefore, to obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary not only to purchase high-quality cucumber seeds, but also to prepare them correctly.
Proper preparation of cucumber seeds for planting guarantees a higher yield of cucumbers.Consider basic rules for seed preparation, which are suitable for growing cucumbers both in open and closed ground. For planting, it is best to choose cucumber seeds that are 2-3 years old., since they produce plants with abundant ovaries.
Although the seeds remain viable for 10 years, their vitality is significantly reduced. When sowing seeds older than 5 years, yields will be low. Fresh annual seeds will also not produce big harvest, upon germination, many barren flowers appear.
But when proper preparation annual seeds can also produce bountiful harvest. To do this, store fresh seeds next to a heat source (battery, stove, heater) at a temperature of 25-35 degrees.
And before sowing, heat them in the oven or on the stove for 3 hours at a temperature of 50 degrees. Seeds should be stored for 2-3 years in a dry, warm room in cloth or paper bags.
For sowing, choose only large, full-bodied seeds, small and injured will still not sprout. You can sort the seeds dry, or you can soak them in a 5% salt solution for 10-20 minutes. In this case, puny, light seeds will float to the surface.
Feel free to throw away all the floating seeds, and rinse those that have sunk to the bottom with running water. To disinfect cucumber seeds from various viral diseases and increase germination, it is recommended to warm them up for 2 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees.
You can also heat the seeds next to them for a month. heating devices. Warmed seeds will give early friendly entries. After disinfection, a disinfection procedure should be carried out. To do this, you can use a dark solution of potassium permanganate.
Wrap the cucumber seeds in cheesecloth and soak them in the solution for 20 minutes, then rinse them with water. To accelerate germination and fight rot You can soak the seeds in a fertilizer solution.
Per liter hot water dissolve 1 teaspoon copper sulfate and nitrophoska, soak the seeds for 12 hours. After that you can start germinating seeds, thanks to this, the seeds will give a more consistent harvest. Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth, place them in a plastic bag and keep them in a warm place for 1-2 days.
During this time, the seeds will swell and the tip of the root will hatch. You should not grow a large root, as it may break off when planting.
By the way, to increase the immunity of future cucumbers, before germination, you can pre-soak them for 6 hours in aloe juice, diluted half with water. To do this so that your cucumbers tolerate cold weather well and produce an early harvest, you can carry out the hardening procedure. To do this, immediately after germination, place the swollen, sprouted seeds in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Pre-sowing treatment of cucumber seeds often includes a function such as soaking. This method processing can help awaken the enormous potential of a small grain and promote faster germination. Used different techniques and methods - from new research in agricultural technology to folk methods. To collect good harvest cucumbers, seeds are best soaked in advance. Many people are interested in how to soak seeds correctly.
Before planting the cucumber seeds, it is advisable to soak them in water. This action allows you to short term sprout and detect unsuitable seeds at the initial stage. When the seeds are of high quality, they provide excellent germination even without soaking at a temperature of +23 to +27ºС for 2–3 days. In this case, soaking will damage the seeds, because all the necessary procedures have already been done - the seeds have been heated and disinfected. The next soaking will wash away the protective layer from the grains.
But if the seed was stored in a damp, cold or hot room, then such seeds must be prepared before sowing. The awakening time for dried seeds will be prohibitively long - they slowly absorb liquid, and seedlings will grow intermittently. Before planting, these seeds need to be awakened - soaked. You can’t buy cucumber seeds every season. By the way, a good percentage of hatching is observed in seeds two or three years old. It is worth keeping the seeds in a dry and warm place, wrapped in paper, and when the sowing season comes, take them to work.
Seeds for sowing, processed correctly, will not fail and will give a good harvest over time. It is better to plant cucumber, strengthened seedlings in the ground. The soaking procedure is carried out to achieve the following goals:
Important! Properly performed soaking is a 100% success of germination; all seeds will definitely sprout.
Before germination, the seeds must be warmed up, calibrated, disinfected, and destroyed microbes and pathogens that cause cucumbers to become ill. There are two methods of disinfection.
When processing seeds raw, a solution of hydrogen peroxide, crystals of boric acid or permanganate salt are used. Each component is diluted in water, and the resulting liquid is used to treat the grains. It is worth considering the use of each solution in more detail.
Important: after each treatment, the grains are thoroughly washed with warm running water.
Annual cucumber seeds must be heated to +50ºС for 1.5–2 hours, but not overcooked. The destruction of viral infections occurs precisely during heating. To warm the seeds, you need to place them on a baking sheet. You can put the seeds in a woven bag or tie them near the main heating radiator. If possible, it is worth heating it on a stove, oven or other household appliance. heating device. At a temperature of +40ºС, heating should be carried out for 6–7 days, if the temperature is +25ºС – about one month.
One of the easiest methods is to warm the grains in the sun for about two or three days. If possible, use an ultraviolet lamp. Dry disinfection will take 3–4 hours. Seeds that are heated produce strong greens and bear fruit for a long period; they have almost no empty flowers.
Pre-sowing work allows you to select high-quality cucumber grains. First of all, calibration is done - the seeds are sorted by size, color and appearance. Planting requires good quality material - dense, elastic, large. For further selection best seeds It is worth pouring them with a mixture of table salt (1 teaspoon per 200 ml of water) and stirring. Unsuitable grains will soon end up at the top, while quality grains will linger at the bottom.
The floating grains are drained simultaneously with the solution, and those below are washed flowing water and dry, but not in direct sunlight, but in the shade.
You should not place them next to the radiator; it is better to place them a little to the side. This process lasts about one and a half days.
Pre-sowing disinfection is done by synthetic dressing, which is performed in two ways - the grains are moistened with liquid and then treated with pesticides, or dry grains are treated with pesticide powder. With dry grain method seed material Place a glass container and fill it with Granozan antiseptic powder, cover tightly with a lid and shake vigorously for several minutes. Then the powder will lie uniformly on the seeds.
Thermal disinfection is most effective for cucumber grains when they have been stored for less than six months. However, chemical and thermal disinfection methods destroy not only pathogenic, harmful, but also healthy microflora. Therefore, these methods must be used with caution; if there is no special need for this, then you need to take it up.
Hardening helps make seeds more resilient to negative circumstances. Hardy seedlings can more easily tolerate cooled soil and resist root rot. Seeds that need to be hardened are placed on a wet cloth, wrapped and placed on a glass plate, small tray and put into a cold space - a refrigerator or cellar for two days. Acceptable temperature is +3ºС.
During this period, make sure that the fabric remains moist. Some time after this operation, the seedlings are treated in a nutrient solution or planted directly in the ground so that they do not dry out.
Thanks to hardening, the growth procedure is accelerated and the harvest of vegetables increases by 45%.
It is now advisable to wet the grains that have been sorted and disinfected in solutions of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. When deciding to use any stimulant, you first need to soak the grains in water for 1–1.5 hours at room temperature. This is necessary so that the grains expand and then are not saturated with excess liquid with the stimulant. For this procedure, you need to take water that has settled from the tap or rainwater. As a result, various biostimulants are introduced into the water to strengthen it, which subsequently help best increase powerful and resilient seedlings.
It is worth taking a closer look at several growth stimulants:
For soaking you will need a tray or large saucer, cloth, water and seedlings. A layer of soaked gauze is placed on the tray, then the grains and again a layer of damp cloth. Seeds cover warm water, temperatures from +29 to +35ºС. The moisture should barely cover the fabric; the resulting structure is installed in a dark place. But at the same time, you need to constantly monitor the level of moisture content and not allow it to dry out, otherwise the grains will disappear.
In order to maintain a stable level of humidity near the gauze, it is worth placing foam rubber, a sponge, or cotton wool, which perfectly retain liquid. For stable humidity The following method is used - the tray with seed is placed in a plastic bag, but not closed completely, left slightly open. The soaking process lasts about a day. But everything depends on how quickly the grains are saturated with moisture. Sometimes 9–16 hours is sufficient.
Soaking in solutions of physical active elements “Zircon”, “Epin”, humates contains practical action. They activate the increase in the premature stage. It should not be treated with only one drug. The result of soaking in a solution with fertilizers shows itself when sowing is done in poor soil and is actually not visible when sowing in fertilized seedling soil. It is also possible to soak seedlings in natural growth stimulants, such as aloe juice, honey, and wood ash.
To prepare a catalyst from aloe leaves, you need to gently trim the leaves, place them in a dark bag and put them in the freezer for 2 weeks. Under these circumstances, increased production of enlargement hormones is triggered in the leaves. Then, using gauze, you need to squeeze the juice from the leaves and dilute it in equal portions with water. Aloe nectar awakens the pecking of grains and increases the immunity of cucumbers.
When working with aloe leaves and juice, do not use metal utensils, such as a knife or bowl. To obtain a honey preparation, 1 teaspoon of honey is diluted in 200 ml of warm water and moistened for 5 or 6 hours. Honey is a carrier of antimicrobial qualities and activates plant growth.
Cucumber grains have amazing germination properties. The hatching rate for premium grains is 89%. Properly stored grains have a lifespan of 5–7 years. The correct environment for storing used seed material is a cool, dry room, where the temperature is approximately +12 to +15ºС and conditional dampness, not exceeding 60%. The grains can withstand freezing at temperatures just below zero.
But there is no need to leave seeds in frozen housing; a sudden drop in temperature will have a detrimental effect on them. For the same reason, it is not advisable to store grains in very warm places, for example, near ceilings in cabinets, mezzanines, or near heating radiators. At temperatures above +25ºС they will retain germination only for a year. Germination of grains occurs when the temperature is from +21 to +27ºС, after approximately 3 days the sprouts sprout. Proper preparation of seeds for planting is a guarantee of a significant harvest.
It is worth considering the main requirements for the preparation of grains, which are necessary for the purpose of growing cucumbers both indoors and outdoors.
Seed material must be stored in paper or a cloth bag in a comfortable, convenient room.
Along with the usual types of cucumbers, bags appear with the mark F1. People often think that these are genetically modified seeds and therefore do not purchase them. In fact, they stand out from the traditional ones. The inscription F1 means that it is a hybrid, resulting from the combination of two different species.
As a rule, breeders keep information about varieties secret, creating unique products in this way, and do not want it to be reproduced. The grains that are obtained as a result of such crossing are called first generation hybrids or F1 (short from Italian Filli - guys).
The grains of the first generation hybrids are bred in order to acquire the same advantages as any of the crossed species; the crosses are the most stable and high-yielding. Hybrids produced in the original generation are distinguished by their extraordinary vitality, accelerated growth and big harvest. Crossbreeds are taken best properties with two types of parents and are less susceptible to diseases and attacks by plant pests.
They can more easily endure negative atmospheric requirements and easily yield, even in low-yield periods. One of the significant disadvantages is that it is impossible to purchase seeds from mixed species. The problem is that in the future they do not produce healthy offspring of cucumbers, since they are not capable of reproduction and do not possess the same traits that their parents had.
A large harvest of cucumbers is guaranteed if you follow the following procedure when selecting cucumber seeds:
To learn how to soak cucumber seeds before planting, see the following video.
